Illuminated display apparatus



A. `GREENWOOD.

ILLUMINATED DISPLAY APPARATUS.

A PL|cAT|oN LED'M'A 13 191e P l 1,384,753. I Patented July 19, 1921. s EEEEEEEEEEEE 1.

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ILLUMINATED DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATIoN FILED MAY I3. 1918.

1,384,753. Patented July 19, 19211.

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A. GREENWOOD.

ILLUMINATED DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3, 1918.

1,884,753. Patented July 19, 1921.

, 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ILLUMINATED DISPLAY APPARATUS.

Application filed May 13, 1918.

ToV all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT GREENWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Illuminated Display Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My improvement relates particularly to display apparatus into which various objects may be interchangeably placed for displaying. Among the objects of the improvement are the following:

(l) To provide an' apparatus 1n which the objects to be displayed will receive good contrast with adjacent areas and in which the interchange of objects to be displayed may be made without removing or disturbing the lamps which produce the light used for internal illumination of the apparatus;

(2) To provide an apparatus which is adapted to satisfactorily-display such objects by external as well as by internal illumination;

To provide an apparatus adapted to embody simultaneously a plurality of display objects, and which, in the preferred form, may be arranged in a holder distinct from the body of the apparatus and the holder' thon put `into suitable position in the body of the apparatus, whereby the changing of the objects will require a minimum of time and the substitution of the new objects in the holder may be effected at any convenient place out of public view, the body of the apparatus being usually too large for removal to a place out of public view;

(4) To produce an apparatus in which the objects to be displayed will be supported or positioned in the apparatus without the use of glass, whereby glass breakage involving loss of the value of the glass and the objects or representations of objects supported thereon is avoided and injury and damage resulting from the falling of pieces of glass is avoided;

(5) To provide such a structure in which the lamps furnishing the interior illumination are housed or sheltered against storm and against mechanical injury;

(6) To provide such a structure in which the interior reflecting surfaces are readily accessible for cleaning and renewing In the accompanying drawings,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

Serial No. 234,298.

Figure l is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying my improvement;

. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of one of the object frames or holders, portions being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the frame or holder shown by Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line, 4 4, of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an upright section on the line, 5-5, of Figs. 3 and 4, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 6 is a rear view of a letter the front of which is shown in Figs. 2 and 5 Fig. 7 is an upright section on the line, 7 7, of Fig. 1, looking toward the right;

Fig. 8 is' a detail sectional perspective showing the frame or holder in another form;

Figs. 9, l0 and 11 are detail sectional perspectives of forms omitting the removable frame or holder and having the edges of the front wall around the opening which forms the object field fitted to make direct engage-- ment with the object supporting means.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings, A is the front wall of the body of the apparatus. This is in box form and is preferably built of sheet metal and has a back wall, A3, and a partition, A4, parallel to the back wall. seated in said partition and support electric lamps, A5; In the front wall of said body are two horizontal openings in each ofwhicli is an object field. In this particular form there is within each of these openings a frame or holder, B, which form the wall edge around said opening. The lamps, A5, are placed behind the remaining parts of the front wall of the apparatus, in order that the lamps may not be seen, and in order that the lamps may not cast direct light from the apparatus to the observer, and in order that a surface receiving indirect light will make contrast with the object or objects in the object lield.

The front face of the partition, A4, is made white or of some color shade which is adapted to reflect light toward the front wall of the apparatus. Thus said wall becomes a reflecting wall.

The apparatus having two frames or holders, B, each being seated in an ,opening in the front wall, is shown in order that it may be seen how a plurality of lines of letters or 1; other objects may be arranged in the same' Electric lamp sockets, A6, are

apparatus. These holders are to be regarded as parts of the edges of the wall surrounding the openings. Each such opening may be termed a display object field.

The display objects are made of such height as will leave spaces between the objects and the upper and the lower edges of the front wall, and at the ends of the opening a space is to be left between the edges of the front wall and the objects, in order that all parts of the objects may be brought into contrast with the reflecting wall.

Each .frame or holder, B, is similar to a frame for holding a picture. In the form shown in the drawings, the frame is made of sheet metal. The body of the frame con.-

forms to the o-pening in the front wall, A, f

of the apparatus, and a flange,rB3, extends outward from the frame or holder parallel to and over the front face of the front wall of the apparatus, whereby said holder is prevented from moving farther rearward into the apparatus. On the front wall., at one end yof the holder is a bracket, A1, projecting over the adjacent Hange, B3, of the holder. At the opposite end, a button, .A2, is swiveled onV the outer face of the front wall of the apparatus and adapted to have one end extend over the flange, B3, when the button is turned into the horizontal position. When the holder is to be inserted, it is presented against the front wall in frontof the opening and far enough rightward of the final position to allow the flange, B3, to be entered behind the bracket, A1, by leftward movement of the holder. VVhe-n that has Vbeen done, the entire holder is moved leftw'ard and then rearward until all of the fla-nge, B3, bears against the front face of the front wall. Then the button, A2, is turned to engagethe adjacent part of said flange.

The body of the frame or holder is formed to give strength td the holder and also to form horizontal rests to receive supportingr members wherebythe objects to be displayed are supported in the object field within the For details of the construction of holder. said body, reference is made to Figs. 3, 4 and 5. As appears i'n Fig. 4, the body of the frame or holder is hollow and is formed byv bending a sheet of metal to provide the front flange, B3, a wall, B, perpendicular to said flange, 'a rear wall, B5, parallel to the flange, B3, anda wall, B, extending forward from the rear wall, B5, parallel to the wall, B4. This construction affords rigidity and also provides a simple and effective means for supporting the objects which vare to be displayed.

In the lower horizontal part of the holder, the wall, B, has a row of upright apertures, B7; and in the upper horizontal part of the n holder, the wall, B, and also the wall, BG.l

have apertures in upright alinement with sheet metal cut to the form of that letter.`

To thefbacl of/the sheet metal forming said letter are secured two wires, B2. One of said wires extends below said lettery and into one of the'apertures, B7, while the other end of said wire extends above said letter into an aperture, B7. The second of said wires is applied only to the upper end of said letter and extends upward into one ofthe apertures, B7. letter by mea-ns of Vmasses of solder, b2, (see Fig. 6). In the right hand part of Fig. 2, a` member which is to represent the letter, A., is similarly supported by two lower wires and one upper wire, each extending into an aperture, B7. f

Fig. 1 shows a v'ariety Vof letters, to some of which four and to others of which three such supports are applied. The letter, I, appears twice, and its narrow form would suggest that one upper and one lower support would be sufficient. But, since the wires used as such supports arecylindrical, two supports must be used at one end of the letter to prevent rotation of the letter. l

The apertures, B7, 'are spaced uniformly, and when 'two supportsV are projected from one end of a letter, said'supports are separated by a. space (from center line to center line) equaling the space between two adjacentapertures, B7, or 'a multipleA of said spaces. The lower ends of the supports, B2, rest upon the lower. wall, BG, said wall having no apertures.

lVhen anV object, B1, is to be put into the frame orv holder, the upper support or sup-V ports are moved upward into apertures, B7, in the upper wall, B4, and then moved upward into the corresponding apertures in the upper wall, B, until the lower end of the lower support may move across the lower wall, B4. Then said support is so moved into alinemcnt with the appropriate aperture, B7, and is then allowed to movedownward into said aperture until the support rests upon the lower wall, B6, the upper support or supports in the meantime moving downward. The upper supports are made long enough to remain in the apertures of the upper' wall, B4, when the lower wall support rests upon the lower, B". (See Fig.

When the letters or other' objects which are in position in the apparatus for-displaying are to be changed, thel objectsa're re.- moved by reversing the operationSA-just de-v scribed. Such insertion and removal may be effected when the frame orholder is in position in .the body lef the, apparatus or Said wires aresecured to the when the holder has been removed from said body. The latter method is usually preferable because the apparatus will usually be located in a public place where it is undesirable to doA suchwork, and such exchange can best be made when the holder can be handled independently of the body oi' the apparatus. A desirable course is to provide extra holders in which the new object or objects can be arranged at lleisure and the holder then taken to the apparatus and put into position after removing the holder then in service.

By making a large number of apertures, B7, in the holders, the objects, B1, may be appropriately spaced from each other, as, for example, when letters are used to form words as shown in Fig. l.

In order to make the supports, B2, invisible, or as nearly so as may be, they should be made thinand ofthe same color as the re* fleeting front face of the partition, A4. The objects, B1, should be opaque or translucent to such degree as will permit good contrast of the object with the back ground formed by the front face of the partition, A4. For ordinary purposes, such objects will be opaque; but in some cases-it is desirable for artisticv effect to make parts of the body translucent. Such effect can be enhanced by making gradual variations in the degree of translucency and by giving a variety of coloring to the objects.

lIn Fig. 8, the upper part of the frame ory holder is formed without the walls, B5 and BG, of Fig. 4. This involves dispensing with the apertures in the wall, B".

In Fig. 9, the construction is similar to the construction in Fig. 8, but the frame or holder is omitted and the means for engaging the object supports are formed directly on the front wall of the body, A. At the upper part of the opening within which is the object field, the sheet metal is turned backward to form a horizontal fiange, A7, in

which are apertures, A, corresponding to the apertures, B77 in Fig. 8. At the Alower edge of 'said opening, the sheet metal is folded backward to form an upper horizontal wall, A8, an upright wall, A, extending 'downward from the wall, AS, and a lower horizontal wall extending from the lower part of the wall, A0, 'forward toward or to the wall, A. In the wall, A8, are apertures, A11, which correspond to the apertures, B7, of the preceding figures.

In Fig. 10 the lower edge is formed the same as in Fig. 9; while at the upper edge a wall, A12, rises from the rear part of the wall, A7, and at the upper part of the wall, A12, is a forward directed fiange, A13, between which and the wall, A, is a space through which the upper ends of the object supports, B2, may rise. i

In Fig. 11, the upper and the lower edges of the wall, A, are turned outward to form horizontal flanges, A13. Along. the upper part of said opening, an angle piece, A14, is secured against the inner face of the wall, A, the horizontal part of the angle piece having apertures, A15.v vAlong the lower part of said opening, a channel piece, A, is applied to the inner face of the wall, A, the web of said channel piece being placed face-to-face against said wall, and thev upper flange of the channel being provided with apertures, A", which receive the object supports, B2. In this form the flanges, A13, add stability to the metal which surrounds the opening in which is the object field.

While it is sought to produce an effective and pleasing display by internal illumination-the illumination produced by the electric lamps, A5, hidden within the body of the apparatus, it is also sought to produce an effective and pleasing display of' the same objects by external illumination during the absence of the internal illumination. My improved apparatus serves well under each of these conditions of illumination. During operation under each of these conditions, the apparatus shows nothing which suggests the other form of illumination. Then the illumination is external, the lamps, A5, are invisible and there is nothing in the apparatus to suggest unsuitability to external illumination; and when the internal illumination is used, there is nothing in the appearance of the apparatus to give the impression that the apparatusV is to be used otherwise than by the internal illumination. Furthermore, the interchangeability of the display objects is not apparent to such extent as to render the apparatus inartistic. On the contrary, the apparatus appears to be of permanent form.

The display objects, B1, are in about the same plane as a pane of glass would be il it were set in the opening in which the display objects are located. Hence fromthe distance at which the apparatus is usually observed, the impression is substantially the` same as it would` be if the objects were paintedupon or otherwise applied to a pane of glass located in said opening.

When the display objects have been removed, the interior of the apparatus at the front of the partition, A4, is accessible for' cleaning or for renewing'the reflecting surfaces by painting or otherwise.

I claim as my invention,

1. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of substantially opaque display objects, supporting means extending upward and downward from said display objects, and two superposed parallel members having along their length equally spaced recesses all adapted to receive any of said supporting means, substantially as described.

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2.v In an apparatusk of the nature described, the combination of substantially opaque displayV objects, supporting means extending vupward and downward from said display objects, and two superposed parallel membershaving along their length equally spaced recesses all adapted to receive any of said supporting means, and the lower of said members also comprising a horizontal wall which serves to limit the downward movement of the lower supporting members, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of substantially opaque display objects, wires extending up kward and downward from said 4display objects, and two superposedparallel members having along their length equally spaced recesses all adapted to receive any of said wires,.substantially as described.

4f. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of substantially opaque display objects, wires extendingv upward and downward from said display objects, and two superposed parallel members having along their length equally spaced recesses allv adapted to receive any of said wires, and the lower of said members also comprising a horizontal wall which serves to limit the downward move-v ment of the lower supporting wires, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of a chambered body comprising a front wall having an opening the upper edge of which has a horizontal wall provided with a row of apertures and the lower edge of which is provided with two horizontal walls one of whichis located above the other and which Vhas a row of apertures and the lower of which forms a rest for the below-mentioned supporting means, a reflecting wall presenting a Vfront reflecting surface back vof said opening, lamps within said body behind the front wall, substantially opaque display objects in said opening clear of the edges of said body, and supporting means extending from said display objects across parts of the light field to the edges of said body and adapted to engage in said apertures, substantially as described. 6. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of a chambered said body, and supporting' wires attached to said display objects and across parts of i the light field tothe edges of said body and adapted vto engagein saidk apertures, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus of and -parallel apertured sheet `metal walls, substantially opaque display objects adapted to `be located in the object lield'between said walls and away from the latter, a horizontal 'supporting wall located `below the lower of said apertured walls, lamps behind.

the plane of saidobject field, and supporting means .extending from said, objects across parts of the light field into engagethe naturek de` scribed, the combination. of two horizontal ment with the vapertures vof the `apertured walls and restingjon said horizontal supporting wall, substantially as described. A

8. In an apparatus of the-nature de-Q.

scribed, the Vcombination of horizontal, Ystationary supports, substantially opaque display objects arranged relative to and away from said stationary supports, supports at-V tached to the display objects and extending Y across parts of the light field, the supports,

of one kind having apertures adapted Jfor thc making of changeable interengagement with the supports of the other kind against horizontal movement, one of Vsaid stationary supports comprising a horizontal surface forming a rest for holding the display 'object supports against movement below the display position., and lamps behind the I plane of the display objects, substantially as described. s

In testimony whereof-I haversigned my name this 10th day of May, V-in the year one thousand nine hundred and eighteen.

ALBERT GREENWooD. 

